Wisdom of the Ages

The Lesson of the Three "B's"

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a b buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to flay, but will remain a prisoner, for life, in a small jail with no top.

We humans are the same. Often, we insist that unless success or happiness comes to us in an exact way based on a preconceived idea held in ind, we become as prisoner of our present environment and past mistakes. There could be five open doors, but we could be standing at the closed, locked one waiting an entire lifetime for it to open.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night - a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or on flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches come slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. Often in life, we must reinvent ourselves to that we can take off from any angle and from any position. To the human being that does not know how to get up again, God can be a great help. God will show us how to fly above former adversity that held us down for too long.

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

I have constantly seen people do the same. This is one of the reasons I believe in prayer so much. Prayer changes us - it does not change God. God is changeless, loving, caring and will always assist if we will but ask. In prayer, we go to God and humble say: “What I’m trying to do isn’t working anymore; show me a new way.